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Astronaut Life on the Skylab Workshop Station
The Skylab Workshop Station is by far the most luxurious space station ever built. It is home to currently 126 kerbals (around 70% full), and have occupied the station ever since its launch. The focus of the station is the Workshop Segment, the hub for space science research and technological innovation. It's interior is octagonal in cross section, and has three levels. Interior lights glow in a warm yellow/orange color in the aft, and a pink/blue hue on the front, which creates a soothing and romantic atmosphere. A 3 x 3m square observation module protrudes from the aft/starboard side corner, which provides a vantage point for kerbals living and working in this segment. The Workshop Segment is connected to the Habitation and Science Segment, which features several integrated cylindrical modules that house more living quarters, science laboratories, control modules, and computer servers. Crew reviews remain a very high 99.98471% rating throughout the years on nominal periods. Even during problematic times, the design of the space station interior proved itself multiple times to be an excellent success. Station Time The Skylab space station time is set by the administrative mission control centers in the United States and Brazil, as Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5). A typical day in the life of Skylab crew Morning The Skylab astronauts typically wake up at 7:30 am on working days (Mon-Fri at 12pm), and at any time during the weekends. The crew can use the bathroom, freshen-up, and have a morning workout for a few minutes before having breakfast at 8am 08:00 At 8 am, kerbals have the opportunity to eat breakfast, cooked up by the lovely space chefs on the station. They can have scrambled, boiled or fried eggs, hash browns, baked beans, with liquid pepper seasoning, and pieces of fruit like oranges, apples, pears; or the traditional rice crispies or weetabix cereal in a sealed container. 08:45 After breakfast, the crew then head to their computer stations in the workshop segment or the science labs, where they talk to mission control employees via Skype about various jobs for the day. Some crew will gather into the Communal Meeting Module for teleconferences on the station, which can last 15 mins tops. Other times, crew who finish early or on breaks can use this module to chat to each other, to family and friends back on Earth. The module has hammocks, which can be used as temporary sleeping areas if needed. 09:00 - 16:30 By this time, all crew on duty will be working on various fields assigned by mission control on behalf of science and technology companies, universities and organizations who use the station. These usually include: Science Experiments Kerbal scientists and engineers conduct science investigations in fields such as: * General Biology * Life Sciences * Plant Growth * Effects of micro-gravity on stuff, from cells and food, to computers and printing technology. * Earth Observations: utilizing cameras to take pictures of various places on Earth like cities, mountains, rivers, forests, deserts, oceans, coasts, polar regions, volcanoes, aurora, etc. * Combustion experiments, involving the use of a glove-box and enclosed flames or electric arcs. * Chemical development experiments * Marine life studies: utilizing the Aquarium sciences module where marine scientists can study the effects of space on fish and marine animals in special fish tanks. * Crystal growth * Geology * Celestial and solar observations * Space radiation experiments * Magnetic field studies. Technological Technological assignments are best suited for engineers, physicists, and computer experts. They can involve a wide range of exciting projects, for example: * Computer-Aided Design (CAD) work on computers, such as Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Sketchup, and Blender. * Earth and Space Manufacturing * 3D printing * Engineering techniques * Architectural design * In-space assembly of machine parts * Product design and development, for future space missions and Earth applications Information Technology On the third level in the Workshop Segment is the main computer and IT area, where kerbals use lots of computers and printers to do various Technological and Scientific stuff, that requires a computer to complete. These exciting activities include: * Physics simulations * Animation * Video editing and making * Internet surfing for general research * YouTube tutorials * Up-links and down-links of NASA and other space agency information * Image cataloging and processing * Software development and programming All the Workshop Segment computers consist of a white monitor, keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse are secured to the desks, with magnets to keep them floating away and getting tangled. The desks are made from wood panels, with a steel sheet layer on the upper surface, covered with wood like veneer. Launch Arrival Departure and Return to Earth Emergencies Maintenance See also * Skylab II Power Failures * Workshop Segment * Habitation and Science Segment * Commander of the Skylab Workshop Station * Space Shuttle Orbiter * Soyuz-Laptop